· December, 2012

Stories about Arts & Culture from December, 2012

Japan's Kanji of the Year 2012

  31 December 2012

The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation has announced the kanji of the year 2012 is gold (金) on December 12, 2012. How do netizens conceive this announcement and how do they look back this year?

State of Freedom of Speech in Tunisia in 2012

  31 December 2012

In 2012, the battle for freedom of expression continued in Tunisia. Though the internet remained uncensored, free speech advocates voiced concerns over the use of religion as a pretext to curb free speech. Meanwhile, a legal void has characterized the Tunisian media landscape as the government continues to ignore a new press law that protects journalists and limits government interference in media.

Japan's Independent Film Theaters are Disappearing

  30 December 2012

One after the other, independent movie theaters are going out of business in Japan. The wave of closing theaters has changed Tokyo's street scenes, people who gathered and spent their time at these old theaters, have lost their place.

They Murder Trees in Egypt

  30 December 2012

Michael Hanna, an Egyptian blogger and pharmacist, mourns the murder of trees, as well as demolishing antique villas in Heliopolis suburb in Cairo. Find out what happened to what is perhaps the oldest palm tree in the area.

MENA: Acclaimed Authors’ Favorites of 2012

  29 December 2012

M. Lynx Qualey, blogger, who is interested in Arab and Arabic literature, wrote a series of posts introducing acclaimed Arab poets, novelists, and short-story writers’ favorite Arab reads of 2012. She started with a list of nonfiction books, then followed by a list for poetry [En] and fiction [En].

Looking Back at 2012 in South Asia – Part II

  29 December 2012

Pakistan's dismal human rights record just gets worse, India's rising rape rates have sent the society into a flux, Bangladesh rejected Myanmar's Rohingya refugees, the regions relatively stable country - Maldives- saw a spiraling political crisis, and protests in post-war Sri Lanka against price hikes were met with police brutality. It has been a rough year in South Asia. And we have been covering the bad and the good all year at Global Voices. Here are some highlights from this years coverage.

The Best 12 of 2012

  28 December 2012

The music blog Puerto Rico Indie offers its traditional summary of the best albums of the year in Puerto Rico. Enjoy!

South Korea: X-Mas Mass-Scale Speed-Dating

  27 December 2012

The first-ever mass speed-dating on the Christmas Eve in South Korea turns out to be a complete failure where 90% of participants were male. Reportedly over 20,000 people signed up and even the police was dispatched for possible sexual aggressions. One net user pointed [ko] the fact that it was basically the man's...

From Gangnam Style to Jailed Tweeter: Korea in 2012

  26 December 2012

Starting from North Korean leadership change, to Gangnam Style spreading over the world and finally the presidential election in December, 2012 has been a dramatic year in South Korea. Here are the top seven Korean stories of the year, which created major social media buzz.

China’s hottest “styles” of 2012

  25 December 2012

Because of the Korean pop hit “Gangnam Style”, the English word “style” has been popularized in China in 2012. On Dec 24,a local newspaper published a special round-up of the hottest “styles” on Chinese social media in 2012. The feature includes six categories: “Funny (幽默) Style”, “Strong (实力) Style”, “Emotional (感情) Style”, “Surprising (惊诧)...

Macedonia: Nude Art Twitter Calendar for Charity

  24 December 2012

Twelve Macedonian women – regular Twitter users – took part in a humanitarian project organized by @IlinaBookbox, two photographers and one designer via the hashtag #ТвитерКалендар (Macedonian for ‘Twitter Calendar’). The resulting nude art calendar was donated to anti-cancer association Borka [wallpapers available via mk, mk, sq]. The original photos...

Art Quake in Kerala – The Kochi-Muziris Biennale

  22 December 2012

A three month long international exhibition of contemporary art is being held in Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala. Keralites in Social Media are involved in discussions about the pros and cons including the controversy surrounding the allocation of state funds for the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.

Bauls – Worshiping The Great God In Man

  19 December 2012

Bauliana posts a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Bauls, a group of mystic minstrels from Bengal. Although current day Bauls are very small in numbers, their influence in the culture of Bengal is considerable.